Eoin Morgan of England celebrates with his team as he lifts the Cricket World Cup trophy
England white-ball skipper Eoin Morgan recalled his side's nerve-wracking 2019 World Cup final against New Zealand, describing the summit clash as "the most dramatic game of cricket".
It was on this day, two years ago, when the English side clinched the ODI World Cup trophy for the first time by defeating the Kiwis by the narrowest of margins. It all boiled down to boundary count after both the sides recorded equal scores in the 50-over game. In the Super Over too, both teams notched up 15 runs each but the trophy was awarded to England on the back of superior boundary count.
England smashed 26 boundaries in the match, nine more than the Kiwis as the Kane Williamson-led side suffered a heartbreak, finishing as runners-up for the second successive time in their World Cup journey.
While speaking to his IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, Morgan highlighted his side's "potential" and build-up to the World Cup final.
"In 2007, 2011, and 2015, we were badly hurt. We were unprepared, way behind in a way everybody else was playing the game, in particular 2015. We were hammered up and down in New Zealand and Australia, we struggled in pretty much every game.
"But I think if that was an Ashes series in 2007, 2011, and 2015, our preparation and strategy would have been on point. So, the potential was always there but the focus wasn't," Morgan was quoted as saying by the KKR website.
"The final was the most dramatic game of cricket and also the best game of cricket that has ever been played, which contributes to the hype of it. It has also lifted the profile of the game as we have never seen.
"The game was so tight, right till the end as tight a game as you'll ever play," Morgan further said.
While the world remembers England as 2019 World Cup winners, Morgan pointed out the team's journey of four years which eventually resulted in memories and life-long friendships.
"The journey that we were on for the full four years, becoming world No. 1, being the batting team that scored the most 300s, the most 350s, the most 400s, the most 450s - building those memories along the way, memories that will last for a long period of time and friendships that will last the whole lives was probably the most rewarding thing," concluded Morgan.
